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3 Magical Irish Creatures Cooler Than Leprechauns

St. Patrick's Day is nigh! This means that you'll be seeing a lot of images of tiny bearded men in green coats and hats. The Leprechaun is a type of fairy that appears in Irish folklore. Known for causing mischief and hiding pots of gold at the ends of rainbows, the leprechaun gets all of the holiday's attention. This is a bit unfair to the plethora of characters that appear in Irish folklore. Here are a few other mythological creatures that should get some love on St. Patrick's Day!

Clurichaun

The “Kloo’-ra-kahn” for example is considered to be the "cooler" version of the Leprechaun. So closely related are the two that people often associate them as cousins. Also a fairy, the Clurichaun is said to be always tipsy and loves wine more than gold. If treated with proper respect, they will protect your supply of alcohol, but when offended they will wreak havoc on your home and spoil your wine. They do tend to become a bit surly if they've had too much to drink (who doesn't?). The Clurichaun seems to be the better choice as the poster child for St. Patrick's Day.

Pooka

One of the most famous creatures of Irish folklore is the Pooka. These shapeshifters often take the form of a black horse with glowing eyes. If you treat the Pooka with respect, they will give you helpful advice and maybe even a prophecy. Did we mention that they can talk? If the Pooka is offended, then it will destroy crops and vandalize your property. These creatures are so well regarded, that they have their own harvest day on November 1st. Take that Mr. Leprechaun!

Cait Sìth

This final mythological creature is definitely the cutest on this list, the Cait Sìth. This fairy creature is described as an all black cat with one white spot on it's chest, and as big as a dog. Unlike your normal house cat, it was feared that the Cait Sìth would steal the soul from the recently deceased. It was believed that the Cait Sìth would bless any house that left a saucer of milk out for it to drink, but those houses that did not let out a saucer of milk would be cursed into having all of their cows' milk dry. And you thought your cat scratching up the furniture was bad!

Sandra Gisi is a book nerd/writer from Austin, Texas. She is the creator of the YouTube series Reader Vs Reader , and book blog What Lovely Books. When she isn't planning world domination, she likes to hangout with her husband and two dogs.